(RFE/RL)
5 November 2005 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin today signed the law proving the legal basis for stationing Russian troops in Tajikistan.

The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, and the Federation Council, the upper house, passed the law earlier this year.

The agreement specifies the number of troops and the structure of a Russian military base on Tajik territory. Russian troops remained in Tajikistan after the collapse of the Soviet Union in late 1991, but without a formal legal agreement.

The Russian and Tajik governments have been negotiating the terms to establish a Russian base in Tajikistan since 1991.